The next day, Rume had already left early in the morning to meet her friends. As planned, the group went on to visit the houses of one of their friends. They visited Vanie’s house first, they were warmly welcomed by Vanie’s parents, with her mother offering them fried potato sticks to eat. Rume thought it was delicious, but she ate the least among them though.

That was because the boys were the ones to eat the quickest and Vanie was racing up to them. Thus, leaving Rume behind in the race of consuming the food. Well, it was not that she was intending to match up with their pace, all that matters was that she got to eat. Besides, she had already eaten back home.

After that, the group observed Vanie sewing pieces of fabric. They got to learn a bit of techniques and ways of proper sewing, but it seems the boys barely remembered all of it. It went through one ear and went out the other. But at least they should have learned something, although what was taught were the basics. In any case, Rume couldn’t certainly say that they were uninterested or not.

As for Rume’s case, it was interesting to gain some insight. But that was all, that was all she cared about, it didn’t inspire her to get into sewing as well. In addition, she was quite entertained that her friend, Vanie, was enthusiastic about something.

During her time around her friend’s house though, she felt several gazes aimed at her. She even found a few adults staring oddly at her, whispering at each other. Vanie’s mother once joined the gossiping adults but later scoffed at them. Rume had no idea what they could be talking about.

In any case, it was very uncomfortable upon noticing the numerous gazes fixed at her. Fortunately, she had her friends to distract her from the bothersome affairs.

Before noon, they left Vanie’s house and later went their separate ways. Along the way, Rume frowned upon noticing those odd gazes from other people again.

Were they just surprised that I suddenly got cured?

Rume wanted to eavesdrop as she went forward. However, as she got closer, they would shut their mouths. Pressured, Rume hastened her pace. She lowered her head and gripped her own hand with the other.

When she reached her home, she sighed in relief. She turned around for a moment to see if there were strangers staring at her, turned out there still remained a few, but mostly were just passerbys.

She went inside and found her mother sitting at the table. Her mother sat quietly, with both arms on the table while her fingers meshed together. It was as though she was in deep thought.

Upon seeing Rume approaching, her mother smiled and greeted her.

“Good, you’re back Rume.” She sounded relieved. “I’ll get our lunch, hang on.”

After serving their lunch, Rume’s mother asked her about her visit as they ate. Rume told her it was quite fun and how she saw sewing as something interesting to gain insight from. However, later mentioned that she was not entirely into it.

Then, Rume decided to mention the odd occurrence earlier.

“Um… Mama… Many people were staring at me this morning.”

Her mother didn’t respond immediately for some reason.

“Oh… Mm, I also noticed…” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Rume, don’t get out for a while until I say so.”

Rume nodded with no hesitation. She wouldn’t force herself to get out if that would just cause her to feel uncomfortable. Not only that, it also made her feel anxious.

After eating all of their food, Rume’s mother stood up.

“I’ll just go take a peek outside.”

She slightly opened the door and looked around. Shortly after that, she seemed to react upon seeing someone familiar.

“Rume, I’ll go out for a bit, Esmon’s calling out for me. Stay here, okay?”

Rume nodded silently.

Her mother looked concerned as she went out. Rume also began to feel more anxious. Along with it came curiosity.

What’s going on…?

She wanted to know what was going on. She looked at the door, the thought of eavesdropping came to mind. But her mother instructed her to stay. But she really wanted to know. Still, eavesdropping was rude, especially when doing it to her mother.

That said, being left in the dark was hard. Maybe, if she knew the situation she could do something about it. Perhaps this was about her sudden restoration? If not, then what could it be? If it was troubling her mother, maybe she could help. Now that she has been cured, she could do many more, and now she wants to help her mother.

She stood up from her chair, quietly approaching the door and slowly opened it slightly. In their front yard there stood Esmon and her mother.

“Has the rumor reached the whole village?” Her mother asked with a slightly trembling voice.

“I imagine so.”

“.... How did they even reach that conclusion…”

“I don’t know. But I guess the event many years ago has some influence on it.”

“... Who would do this?” Lena gripped her skirt.

“Lena, this is only rumors, it will disappear soon enough.”

“Right… But...that kind of rumor is too much…”

“Lay low for now. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Esmon…”

Esmon nodded. “To be honest, this kind of rumor is too dangerous. So, be careful. We don’t know how others will take this kind of accusation.”

“Yes…”

“Lena… What really did you do?”

Esmon narrowed his eyes with suspicions.

“D-Do you also doubt me, Esmon? Did you finally start to think I am what they say I am?”

“Ah! No, of course not! I just want to know.”

“I already told you the gist of it…”

“But that was not enough for me to fully understand what you did.”

“... I know…it’s just… Just know that it was nothing of that kind, Esmon.”

Esmon sighed in resignation seeing that Lena wouldn’t tell him anything.

“Very well. I’ll be leaving, stay safe.”

“Yes. And Thank you.”

Rume couldn’t understand a single thing about what they were talking about. She knew absolutely nothing about the situation, so she couldn’t grasp anything.

Rumors? What kind of rumors would those be? Why is it dangerous?

As Esmon was about to leave, Rume immediately closed the door then returned to sit at the table. When her mother came back inside, Rume acted as though she never left her seat.

“Rume…”

“Ma?”

Her mother slowly sat on the chair with dismay apparent on her face. Rume felt her heart ache upon seeing her upset mother.

“I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t leave the house tomorrow.”

“Mama, you don’t have to be sorry. I understand, I’ll stay here tomorrow.”

“... Very good.” Her mother forced a smile. “We’re running out of ingredients, I’ll need to go to the market early morning.”

“Then I’ll watch the house...”

The next day, early in the morning, her mother left while Rume wished for her to be safe. The village market at that time should just have opened, so Rume imagined there being fewer people. It was better that way. Throughout the time her mother was out of the house, Rume was restless and uneasy, her mother wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

She gripped her hands tight and often rubbed her palms together. She could feel her heart throb, she felt somewhat cold while sweating slightly. She recalled the moment she heard it was dangerous. Rume had no idea what the reason could be.

Should she ask her mother about it? Maybe that was the ideal thing to do. She disliked the feeling of not knowing anything.

Therefore, she decided to ask when her mother arrived.

She waited in what felt like forever, then sighed in relief after hearing the door opened. She made sure it was her mother, and smiled when it was indeed her.

“Welcome back, mama!”

When her mother turned around after closing the door, the smile on Rume’s face went down for a moment. It was only a short walk to the market, but she already looked so haggard as if she just went through a storm.

Yet, her mother smiled despite it all.

“I’m back, these should last us two days or three if stored properly.”

Her mother gently placed the pair of full bags on the floor.

“But before anything else, I’ll go cook our breakfast. We still have some vegetables left, so I’ll use those. Sit tight, okay?”

Her mother’s warm caress spread throughout her head. It gave her comfort even for just a little.

Before she could say anything else, her mother already left. No — it was not because she was too late, but rather because no words came out of her mouth. She wanted to ask, but failed to do so. It felt like her question got stuck in her throat.

… Maybe it would be best to ask her after breakfast.

She decided. She expects that the atmosphere would be better later on.

She waited in the living room with barely any patience. How could she when her head was full of worry at the same time feeling extremely anxious. As she thought about it more, she began to imagine the worst case scenario.

What if this could end up risking her mother’s life? Such thought only brought fear all over her. She couldn’t even begin to imagine a life without her beloved mother. She doesn’t even know if she could live any further when her mother vanishes from her life.

Rume shook her head to shake off those dreadful thoughts. It was not good to get all negative, being optimistic at the moment was the better option. No harm in hoping for the best.

Moments past as she tried to avoid such harmful thoughts, her mother came back and served their meal.

As they ate, Rume would occasionally steal glances at her mother, out of concern and in attempt to analyze her condition. The atmosphere around the room was heavy due to the pair’s silence.

However, after they both finished their meal, Rume gathered the resolve to open her mouth and speak.

“Mama, what is happening? Can you please explain to me? Why is it so dangerous? What is this rumor?”

Rume held no question back, she was intending to ask one question at the time, but perhaps she was so distressed that she blurted out all of the questions that were clouding her mind. Because it was so sudden, her mother only stared at her dumbfoundedly in silence.

Her mother opened her mouth only to close them again a couple times. It appears she was reluctant to say anything. Yet, Rume waited.

“... Rume… I know you’re worried, but everything’s going to be alright.”

Her mother stood up from her chair and kneeled before Rume so they could be at the same level. Her palm gently placed on Rume’s cheek, her expression emitted reassurance.

“Mama’s handling it just fine, it will be over in no time. Besides, those are only rumors, they will disappear soon enough.”

No answer was given. All she received were words of reassurance. This didn’t lift Rume’s confusion at all. She couldn’t understand why her mother wouldn’t say anything about the problem. All it did was double Rume’s confusion. She shook her head vigorously.

“Why wouldn’t you say anything?! Why are you so sad?! I don’t understand! Let me know! Please…”

Along with the vague words her mother gave only made Rume more frightened. Fear and confusion clouded her entire mind. These prompted her to break into tears. No matter how she held it in, pessimistic thoughts still came flooding in.

Seeing her child bawling, Lena immediately embraced Rume while gently rubbing her back.

“Sssshh. It’s okay… let your mama handle it, okay? Let the adults solve this. I’m not alone anyway, Esmon’s also helping mend everything. In a few days, everything will be over.”

Yet, her mother refused to answer her again. With her mother’s comforting embrace, Rume resigned in asking questions and decided to believe in her. The one she has put her trust in her entire life. The one she believed in with all her heart.

However, fate was not kind to them.

The next day, the village gave off a different kind of vibe, the air around was ominous, a few people passed by their house. A few may approach but they appeared to be alerted, cautious, and some observed oddly from a distance.

It was already early afternoon, Rume’s and Lena’s household was all silent when suddenly, someone knocked loudly at their door. They were startled at first, but Lena approached slowly and inquired whoever it was knocking.

“Who is it?”

“Lena! Open the door quickly!”

It was Esmon’s voice, upon realizing who it was, Lena immediately opened the door, the old man sounded to be in panic, so she rushed over.

“Lena! You must leave! Now!”

The old man almost collapsed as Lena caught her. He was covered in sweat while gasping for breath. He must have ran as fast as he could.

“What?! What’s going on?”

Lena was struck with anxiety, everything might have turned out for the worst. But she needed clarification to understand what’s going on.

“They’re coming. The village mayor, everyone! You need to escape, quick! They saw me on the way here, meaning they may be already making quick preparations.”

“W-why—”

Lena trembled.

“There’s no time! Go now before they get here!”

“Go where?! We have nowhere to go!”

They have no other relatives. All of their life, they never left the village so they have no friends or anyone to go to. Plus, they’re surrounded by forests, there’s no way they can survive out there.

Esmon of course never got to answer immediately. But his eyes widened as an idea came.

“ — Go to my cousin. Go north from here, you’ll reach a city called Haldis. Then find my cousin Emmes Gremeas, you can find them at the eastern part of the city. He’s way younger than me, so I’m sure he’s still alive. Go through the forest which is on the left side of the village’s main road, keep going forward and you’ll stumble on a road. From there go north.”

“Wait! The forest?”

“Lena! I know this is risky. But this will give you a much bigger chance than staying here. You did prepare some rations as I instructed?”

“Y-Yes.”

Lena recalled that Esmon had instructed her to store rations like fruits and dried meat in a separate bag. It was a preparation for their escape.

Then behind them, Rume listened and observed. Tears coming out of the edges of her eyes. Upon listening, she understood how imminent the situation now was. She felt cold as her heart throbbed so hard. Her feet felt weak.

“Mama…”

The two adults turned around.

“Now go you two! You may be their target, but there’s no telling what they’ll do to her if she stays here.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll go buy you some time.”

Her mother then rushed to the kitchen while Esmon left. After Lena grabbed a large bag, she immediately held Rume’s hand.

“We’re leaving, Rume.”

The little girl nodded with no hesitation. They rushed outside and used the route with less houses and fewer people. But strangely, there were no people at all.

The two ran, but Rume with small legs couldn’t run fast as an adult, hence her mother lifted her up with her free arm. It must have been too heavy for her, with packages on both arms, her mother’s arms must be straining a lot with the weight. And yet, she endured.

They were closing in out of the village’s boundary. Just a little more and they will be finally out, they didn’t use the main village exit so they wouldn’t get easily caught. However, that only proved to be futile. Out of nowhere, a man emerged to block their way. Rume didn’t notice where that person came from.

Her mother immediately halted. Rume’s breathing froze upon seeing a blade in the man’s hand. Then another man came from behind them followed by a few more.

“Careful! She might cast a demonic spell on you!”

Rume heard an unfamiliar term.

“Wait! You got it all wrong! I have nothing to do with demons!”

“Lies!”

“Hey, are we seriously doing this?”

One of the men asked another with a hesitant expression.

“She’s dangerous.”

“Yes, but is this really — I mean, it’s Lena. No way she’s one.”

“Then…” The man began to hesitate as he lowered his weapon a bit.

“What are you doing? What if she is indeed one?! We can’t just let her escape, right? She might come back to haunt us.”

“Y-yes but…”

“No! I am not a demon! I never casted any kind of spell in my life, not to mention any demonic one! P-Please, let us go, and we’ll never come back.”

Her mother pleaded with a trembling voice. Rume on the other hand couldn’t even move her mouth in fear.

“What are you guys doing?!” A commanding voice rang out from behind them. “Raise your weapons and capture the demonic witch.”

Everyone turned to face the source of that voice. It was a man Rume never saw before.

“But boss—”

“Why do you hesitate? Have you forgotten how the last one tried to deceive us a long time ago?! It’s the same now!”

“Y-You…?” Rume’s mother whispered.

The man who appears to be the group’s leader looked at the two at them with cold eyes. Just then, many more villagers began to appear. There were so many of them that it felt like the entire village had come to watch.

“What are you waiting for?! Catch her and burn her at the stake!”

At the loud command of that man, the men sprang into action. Her mother tried to run away only to be tackled by one of them. As they fell to the ground, Rume was separated from her mother.

Pain spread throughout Rume’s body as she hit the ground. But out of concern for her mother, she shrugged off the pain and looked for her mother. There she was pinned down on the ground.

Rume ran towards her, the little girl tried to punch the adult with all of her strength, but only to no avail. The man merely shoved her aside and she was sent flying about less than a meter away. The man’s arm hit her head so she felt a jolting pain. But that was not enough to stop her.

“Stay away from mama!”

She ran towards her again only to be kicked on the stomach by another man.

“Rume!”

Her mother struggled. Lena grabbed a rock nearby and struck it towards the man. She failed to hit the head, but still managed to hit his neck. Lena pushed him away and stood up frantically in hopes to reach her daughter.

“You bitch!”

However, the man grabbed her then a blade stabbed her in the abdomen. At that moment, the men pinned her on the ground again.

“M-Mama!”

Rume struggled to stand up. An incredible pain on her chest along with a difficulty of breathing due to an adult's kick. It was then the men produced a rope and tied it around her neck. Rume, despite the pain, still rushed to her mother, only to be grabbed by one of the men.

“Let go of me!”

“Stop moving around, child!”

“NO! MAMA!”

Rume used all of her strength to free herself, but the adult’s hand wouldn’t budge. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she saw her mother bleeding from the stab. The men made her stand up with a rope tied around her neck. Her face red all over by the hits inflicted by the adults and her neck pinned by the rope that almost choked her.

“R-Rume!”

“Be quiet demon!”

A man hit her mother on the face with no remorse.

“Stop this!” A familiar voice echoed around the area.

Rume immediately turned around to seek salvation from the old man’s voice.

“Let go of Rume you bastards!” He rushed towards Rume and struck the man holding her with his cane.

“Stop it old man!”

“You’ll just hurt a little girl like her? Don’t you have any shame?”

“She’s the daughter of a demonic witch, why should I be ashamed?!”

“That’s enough Esmon!” The leader of the group shouted behind Esmon.

“You! How dare you do all of this?!”

“It has to be done! Take her to the stake!”

Lena was then being pushed by the men and pulled by the rope on her neck.

“MAMA!!”

“Let go of her, she has nothing to do with this!” Esmon shouted.

“Is she? But fine. Let her go.”

The man let go of Rume, then the little girl immediately rushed towards Esmon’s side.

“Mr. E-Esmon! Mama — mama — please help her!”

“Uh—”

“This must be done. There’s nothing you can do.” The leader spoke coldly before moving on to follow the crowd.

“It doesn’t have to end this way, Mayor! Please don’t do this!”

Esmon pleaded only to be ignored.

“M-Mama — I need to help her.”

“Rume!”

Rume ran away towards her mother with no hesitation. She endured the pain caused by the strike she received. It didn’t matter how much pain she felt, all that mattered was to save her mother.

Then, in the middle of an open area, Rume saw a tall wooden post, at its base were numerous small woods. She didn’t know what that was for but her mother was being tied upon it.

“Mama!”

She was about to run towards her when she was blocked by an adult.

“M-Move away!” Rume shouted as she tried to pass through.

However, she was shoved away with full strength by a grown man.

At the same time, her mother was tied to the wooden post with her hands on her back. Her neck secured by the rope tied to the post, due to the tightness, she was already being choked. Lena was in tears and in terror. She shifted her eyes to look at Rume, one last time.

“Mama!”

Rume stood up but was held from behind.

“Rume, stop.” Esmon restrained her as he took her into his arms.

“L-Let go of me!”

She pushed his arms away, but she wasn’t strong enough to escape.

“Mama!”

She extended out her arms as though reaching out for her mother. She must save her. She can’t let this happen.

Please, someone, save mama.

She prayed to whoever was listening. She prayed to God to save her mother. She prayed for a hero. She prayed for anyone to come and save her mother. Even if it is the devil itself, it doesn’t matter. Just anyone.

“Now, we will free our village from the grips of the demons!”

“““OOOOOOOHHHH!!!!”””

The crowd cheered as the one referred to as the mayor held out a blazing torch.

“N-No! You got it all w-wrong, I’m not a demon!”

“Silence demonic witch! We will purge this village of anything demonic, only then our village will truly be safe!”

“Burn her!”

“Kill her!”

“Burn her to ashes!”

The mayor then pointed the tip of the torch to the woods at the base. Immediately, flames erupted and quickly spread out.

“N-NO! MAMA!”

Rume shouted in terror at the top of her lungs as she struggled to free herself. A short moment later, the ravaging flames reached the feet of her mother.

A few seconds later, the flames began to consume the entire stake. Engulfing the person tied unto it.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Rume could clearly hear her mother’s scream of agony. Rume froze there and then, stunned at the scene before her. Her eyes wide as tears came streaming down. The one in the flames writhed around as the flames burned off her skin.

The crowd cheered as the woman consumed by the flames cried in torment.

Then gradually the woman’s — Rume’s mother’s — charred body broke down by the intense flames. Parts of her skins and muscles burned to crisp and into ash. Her mother was no longer recognizable by anyone.

All Rume could do was stand there, frozen in shock and horror.

Why did it end this way?

What did she ever do to deserve this?

Everything was supposed to go well. She had done nothing to deserve this. She just wanted a happy life with her. A life where they can smile together, laugh together, eat together, hold each other.

Now, how will she ever see her?

How will she ever see her smile?

How will she ever hear her voice?

How, will she ever feel her warm embrace?

Now, only tears will come...

She only wanted a happy life.

Just simple happiness.

So...

Why?